Manuel Rivera, Jr.

Manuel Rivera, Jr.
Captain Manuel Rivera, Jr. The first Puerto Rican serviceman to die in Operation Desert Shield.
Born	(1959-09-24)September 24, 1959 Bronx, New York
Died	January 22, 1991(1991-01-22) (aged 31) Persian Gulf
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1981-1991
Rank	Captain
Unit	VMA-331
Battles/wars	Operation Desert Shield
Awards	Purple Heart

Captain Manuel Rivera, Jr. (September 24, 1959 – January 22, 1991), was the first serviceman of Puerto Rican descent to die in Operation Desert Shield during the Persian Gulf War.

In the 1950s, Rivera's parents moved from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States in search of opportunities. They settled down in the borough of the South Bronx in New York City, where Rivera was born and rented a low income apartment in a public housing project. At a young age Rivera became interested in obtaining a good education and in becoming a pilot. He was a good student and as a young man joined the Boy Scouts, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. After finishing his primary education, he enrolled and attended Aviation High School pursuing his ambition of becoming a pilot. After graduating from high school, Rivera attended Dowling College in Long Island and earned his bachelor's degree.

He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1981, following in the footsteps of his father, Manuel Rivera, Sr. who was a Marine during the Vietnam War. He was sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina where he underwent basic training. From there he was sent to the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. He graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant and continued his training at the Naval Aviation Flight Training School where he earned his pilot "wings."

Rivera was eventually promoted to the rank of Captain, and serving as personnel officer, intelligence officer and logistics officer flew in many support missions. He had ongoing plans to apply for admission to NASA as an astronaut candidate. As a USMC pilot, he was assigned to VMA-331, with service in that squadron including deployment to MCAS Iwakuni in June 1989, and upon outbreak of Operation Desert Shield, service aboard the USS Nassau.